Emmylou Harris is known for both her big heart and her love of animals. Billboard reports the singer has spearheaded a new event, Woofstock, that she hopes will be the first of many to support homeless animals in and around Nashville. The benefit will take place at The Woods at Fontanel on Aug. 18.

“I have a dog rescue organization called Bonaparte’s Retreat, and this is a fundraiser for that,” she said. “We have partnered with Metro Animal Control, and we are great friends with Nashville Humane, so there will be other rescues there. There will be dogs there that are available for adoption, and we are telling people to bring their own dogs, because we will have a dog beach with umbrellas, and lots of fun for the dogs.”

Emmylou will perform at the event along with Buddy Miller, Shawn Camp, Mike Farris, Ella Mae Bowen and The Whites. There will be food and drinks available for the human concertgoers and fun for the four-legged creatures as well with high-end doggie day care The Farm at Natchez Trace offering pet pedicures.

“We just wanted it to be a day where people could come out and have fun, bring their dogs, listen to some music, have some good food,” Emmylou said. “It would be wonderful if we got a few dog adoptions, but mainly, we want to raise awareness of shelter dogs in the area – not just at Bonaparte’s – but all the rescues in the area that are available for adoption in our community. We really hope it will be an annual event.”

While this event will focus on raising awareness for dog rescue, Emmylou hopes to include cats in future programs. She’s also looking to include an outreach program that will help both animals and people.

“We also wanted to give job opportunities for people who have graduated from Charlie’s program that are homeless, and need an opportunity to get back into society while still dealing with the stigma of knowing they were homeless,” she said. “The animals don’t care. They have a lot to give to each other. We’re also partnering with the Children’s Services, hoping to give an opportunity to young adults who age out of the foster system that don’t have a support system that need a job opportunity. We want to offer some kind of residence, as well as the opportunity to work in animal rescue, and perhaps go on to work as a vet tech., but centered around animal grooming and rescue.”

Rescue is the number one priority of the program however. “There are as many as 1,000 animals per month that Metro Animal Control puts down,” Emmylou said. “By law, they can only keep them so long. It’s heartbreaking to think about, but they have to be put down to make way for the hundreds of animals that come in because people don’t spay and neuter their pets.”